how much does it pay to be a game reviewer on Gamespot, IGN, EGM, etc?

I've always wondered how good is the pay for a person working as a reviewer, editor for these gaming sites.

Certainly, reviewing games takes a lot of time. Do they have to play through the entire game before they review it?

What does a game reviewer for Gamespot, IGN, EGM, Nintendo power, etc. earn per year?

Do they get to keep the game too? Do they get the latest systems for free?

Do they get paid while they are playing the game, or is it just pay for each review written?

So many burning questions.

I want to add,

Do most of these game reviewers have 2nd jobs to make due?

I don't think the review get that much money. I'm sure they get enough to survive on though.

Most of the time I think reviewers do play through the entire game, but they don't have to, they can play just enough to be able to write a review.

The reviewers don't keep the games, I think the website that reviews the games keeps them in storage somewhere. The reviewers themselves don't get to keep the console, but the office does get a free one.

I can't answer your last question.

This isn't really appropriate for this forum, but before I lock it:

-Pay depends on the company, position, and general level of experience.

-It varies.

-We play the game to get a good, detailed overview of everything the game offers. In the case of console games, this often means finishing them completely. You can't exactly "finish" something like an MMO, however.

-At GameSpot, games go into a communal library after the review process is finished, so editors do not keep them. We are generally supplied with hardware only to the extent that it lets us take footage and such (the funky blue box from Nintendo that you might have spied during On The Spot, for example). We purchase most of the hardware off the shelf, same as anyone else.

-Salaried employees and freelancers are paid differently. Editors here aren't paid "per word" or anything like that, though.

Now talk about games instead!